It’s not every day a premier Northeast ballet company pays Baton Rouge a visit, but the city is getting a show tonight.
Philadelphia’s BalletX will perform at the Baton Rouge River Center tonight as part of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s 2015-16 ballet season and BalletX’s tour.
BalletX is a contemporary company focusing on energy and athletic ability, which BalletX dancer Caili Quan describes as broadening the language of dance.
“Our main goal is to expand the vocabulary of ballet and expand dance,” Quan said. “We do contemporary work that has classical roots but just stretch it in different ways.”
Quan said BalletX’s work differs from the traditional parts many people think of when classical ballet comes to mind.
Classical ballet tends to be up and down, and that isn’t what the audience will see at the BalletX performance, Quan said.
“If you think of the classics like ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ most of the time, the ballerina moves in a unilateral way,” Quan said. “The stuff we do requires a lot more movement from different parts of the body.”
Quan said the performance will be composed of multiple pieces with different choreographers and themes. For each piece, the dancers convey certain expressions and emotions.
Having multiple pieces instead of one full-length piece, Quan said it can be tougher to get into character and commit emotionally because the performance is such a mixed bill and requires quick transitions.
For Quan, the music in everypiece is the key to get into
character.
“The music is big in the guidance of what your character is,” Quan said. “When that music comes on, you already know who you are.”
Fellow BalletX dancer Daniel Mayo said preparation is his secret key.
Mayo said going over choreography and rehearsing helps him and the other dancers get into the different modes each piece demands. Mental preparation is also essential, he said.
“We all take some moments to mentally prepare and get into the energy and the intention behind each piece that we’re about to do,” Mayo said.
Quan said she and many of the other BalletX dancers have never been to Baton Rouge, but that isn’t the case for fellow dancer Mayo, whose wife Julia Mayo is a Baton Rouge native and was a BRBT dancer.
Mayo and his wife taught a workshop at BRBT two years ago. Mayo said he’s excited to be back in Baton Rouge performing live for his wife’s family, especially when so many of her relatives don’t get the opportunity to watch him dance often.
In addition to visiting family, Mayo said it’s nice to bring BalletX’s work to Baton Rouge. Mayo said the company’s work isn’t seen so often outside of the major dance hubs or regions, so it’s exciting to bring it to the South.
As for what he’s most enthusiastic about besides dancing in front of his wife and her family, Mayo said he can’t wait for some Baton Rouge food.
“I always look forward to the food,” Mayo said. “Whether it’s crawfish or going to Parrain’s, I love it.”